Alan G. Brackett and Gerard J. Dragna attended the Defense Research Institute’s (DRI) Managing Partners and Law Firm Leaders Conference August 26 to Friday, August 27. The conference, which was held in person this year at The Gwen in Chicago, presented successful strategies for the present practice climate. Topics that were covered included:
- Nuts and Bolts: What Is Going On Here? – A primer on management basics.
- Are You “Twitter-pated”? – Don’t be afraid to add social media to your arsenal.
- Interrupting Unconscious Bias – How to interrupt unconscious bias and address the root of the issue so that you can attract, retain, and develop a diverse workforce.
- Pitch Perfect – In the age of emails and social media, how do you teach others to develop business?
- Can You Hear Me Now? – Lessons in effective internal communication.
- Having the Talk – A presentation on succession planning that will share approaches for handling difficult internal discussions and decision-making.
- You Survived COVID: Now What? – How issues faced during COVID inform the way in which businesses and lawyers will work together moving forward.
About the Defense Research Institute
DRI is the leading organization of defense attorneys and in-house counsel. Membership in DRI provides access to resources and tools for attorneys who strive to provide high-quality, balanced and excellent service to their clients and corporations. DRI is host to 29 substantive committees whose focus is to develop ongoing and critical dialogue about areas of practice. DRI has served the defense bar for more than 50 years and focuses on five main goals:
- Education: To teach and educate and to improve the skills of the defense law practitioner
- Justice: To strive for improvement in the civil justice system
- Balance: To be a counterpoint to the plaintiff’s bar and seek balance in the justice system in the minds of potential jurors and on all fields where disputes are resolved
- Economics: To assist members in dealing with the economic realities of the defense law practice, including the competitive legal marketplace
- Professionalism and Service: To urge members to practice ethically and responsibly, keeping in mind the lawyer’s responsibilities that go beyond the interest of the client to the good of American society as a whole